A former owner of the Annandale Hotel has launched an expletive-laden spray at Leichhardt Municipal Council, which reversed its long opposition to live music after the receivers finally moved in to sell the business.

Matthew Rule's online remarks follow a unanimous vote by council this week to adopt a "Good Neighbour Policy" to end legal action against music venues.

It's a marked departure from the council's combative encounters with Mr Rule and his brother Daniel that took a financial toll in the years they owned the Annandale.

Mr Rule had previously complained about fighting council on everything from development applications to outdoor seating. A protracted Land and Environment Court battle over late-night trading and noise compliance cost the brothers more than $200,000.

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Mr Rule writes the council "put us through unimaginable amounts of stress as we scratched every day to figure out how to pay the bills and keep the doors open". They were finally forced to hand the keys to Ferrier Hodgson in February.

On Monday, Mayor Darcy Byrne met with receivers Ferrier Hodgson and invited them to submit an application for extended trading hours to make the hotel more financially viable as a live music venue.

“The reign of the fun police at Leichhardt Council is officially over," Cr Byrne said on Tuesday. "From now on, council will take responsibility for resolving noise complaints amicably instead of forcing music venues to shut their doors."

In his post, Mr Rule accuses the council of "gifting the receivers . . . a late licence the minute we are out on our arses" while it "ultimately contributed to us losing a business we struggled to for 13 years to keep alive, our family losing money and my brother and I stone motherless broke".

Mr Rule said after weeks of keeping quiet on the hotel's fate, the post served to "let off steam".

"With all the good intentions in the world it's not going to help us," he said of the new policy position, admitting he was preparing for bankruptcy and "still filthy at the last council".

"You wanna save live music at the Annandale Hotel," he writes in the post, "give us back the probably $500k all of the above more than likely cost us so we can have out business back.

"Hand us the late licence and support the two people who 13 years ago when it wasn't trendy or politically advantageous to support live music . . . had a massive f---king crack!"

Cr Byrne said the Rule brothers had a right to be furious with the "wrong, opportunistic and short-sighted" decision by the previous council that forced the venue to close early.

"In pandering to three NIMBY complainers instead of standing up for this iconic venue the previous council contributed directly to today's crisis," he said.

Cr Byrne pointed out his own actions included meeting with the Rule brothers to offer his "unqualified support" before the last election, and moving to overturn council's prosecution of venues after becoming mayor five months ago.

"I remain as committed as ever to seeing the hotel continue as an iconic live music venue which is why I have invited the receivers to apply for extended trading hours," he said.

84 comments

That's typical of the Leichhardt Council. It was (maybe still is?) run by a bunch of extreme lefties who wouldn't have the first idea of how to run a business.

Ask anyone who's tried to get a development approval in the area. They should be forced to compensate the former owners for all their efforts over the years.

Commenter

Wallo

Location

Sydney

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 8:50AM

The greens have only had power for the last few years and in that time the council is now supportting them....It was the years before that which were the issue.

Commenter

tango8

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 9:59AM

Strange, I remember it being a Liberal mayor in charge when I lived there in the mid-2000's.

Wallo, are you trying to make a political statement devoid of facts?

Commenter

ST

Location

Sydney

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 10:24AM

Tango8 is right.

Bye Annandale. I enjoyed playing there.

Commenter

Francis Allen

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 10:35AM

What's with the nasty headline Editor!? What gives you the right to take the moral high ground and describe the Rule bros justified comments in such a nasty manner.

This reflects very poorly on you. Way to kick them while they're down.

Commenter

Chad

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 11:28AM

There are no extreme lefties in Australia.

Commenter

yumq

Location

Reid

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 11:46AM

I wouldn't describe the Libs as "extreme lefties."

They certainly know how to mess up business though. Look at the mess the State Libs just made for the gas companies with their ill-thought out, unplanned announcement.

Commenter

TheBigM

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 12:26PM

Ah, the good old state of New South Wales.

Commenter

Albert Ross

Location

Sydney

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 9:08AM

Gentrification. The process of boring people moving into an exciting area and turning it into another lousy suburban neighborhood.

Leichhardt is poorer as a result, just like the East Village being screwed over by a few NIMBYs who moved in and complained despite the pub being there for a century. What do these geniuses expect when they buy property near a pub!?

NIMBYs... Please move to the upper North Shore and leave the rest of us to give this city some flavor.

Commenter

Mike

Date and time

March 01, 2013, 11:21AM

42 of these ridiculous inefficient local governments in Sydney alone is a situation that leads to this. Councils cannot afford to pay the councilors, so who do we end up with representing us at local gov't level? Merge 42 into 8 local councils, pay the councilors a proper wage and THEN you might see change. Better still - do away with the states at the same time. Until then local councils will continue as basket cases all screaming they are broke while they busily waste your rates on crazy ideas and issues. My sympathies to anyone running a business forced to deal with local government - it is like trying to do business with a bunch of three year olds.